Simpleology Blog

let me put it this way i always ask what the price is and then start saving,
i bought a small booklet on
125 ways to save money.

Thanks for the useful tips!! I had to laugh about the teasing your mom part :D

I would add that you are on the right track - but that spending money on yourself every paycheck is a MUST!!!

If you ever get a chance to listen or go to a T. Harv Eckart "Millionaire Mind Course you will hear of his jars system and you will understand why!!

Cutting your paycheck into percentages really does work - you pay bills, save and get to spend some on yourself.

Thanks again for sharing!

Well as 18yr old kid, with college coming up and everything.

I think I'm a pretty decent saver, not the best, but I do have self-control and never ever spend more than I can afford.

I always make sure my outgoings are lower than my incomings.

I don't really care about money, I'm not much of a material person but it is somewhat important due to college.

Great article!

I remember reading a book years ago by Joe Karbo.

In it he had a simple schems for becoming wealthy - and it is a direct application of this idea.

1. Whatever you get paid, save 10-15% and put it in an awkward to access bank account. Make certain it is a percentage - not an exact value (like 20 or so).

2. Do that before you use any money for anything else, you probably won't miss it.

3. Soon enough, you will notice the interest alone on this 'Money Tree' is paying in faster than you are!

4. Never spend the interest from this account, never use the money directly, you can leverage it as potential collateral if you need to.

Jim Carrey carried around a $10,000,000 'cheque' from 'Warner Bros' he had made with his father when he was 16. This was the amount of money he recieve for playing in 'The Mask' nearly 15 years later.

Great money tips!

James E.

i like the tips and they make good sense. but my phobia is so much more deeply rooted than that. dealing with money and family, comparing your self to others, even if they dont exist. they just more money than you. because you have zero.
feelings of scaracity.

this comment was more about money phobia topics i would like you to address as oppose to me just whining. it would help me deal with my fear of having a lot of money..no wonder i dont have any :)

I think tithing is important too and should be added to that list.

It's funny, I was reading an email about Karma and tithing and the author was recalling a time someone asked if tithing should be worked out on net or gross income?

If someone volunteers their time for charitable pursuits, are they required by the laws of the universe to give 10% of their money too?

In 1985 we begin sponsoring a monthly Prosperity Ritual. We ask everybody to bring $50.00 in $1 bills. we would do affirmations about being entitled to money. Pass the money around a circle and bury people in money and take pictures of them. Many other activities around money.Then we would have a big feast on food that people would bring. The ritual broke through many peoples phobia about money.

I am interested in how money effects different people. I have had both times of no money and quite a lot of it and my attitude to it does not seem to change. I think that I suffer from "not being worth or deserving to earn lots of money". I guess a kind of fear although I did enjoy being able to buy things for people when I did have money.

I am also a workoholic and as long as the cause has enough merit I will work without receiving any money. Any ideas on how to break this sort of phobia towards money?

"Save first and spend what is left" this one sentence should be inscribed in the minds of our children when they grow up. Parental influences can play a major part in the spending habits of a person.

Hi,

Nice article. When I think deeply on the saving aspect, the trouble I face is how much I should save so that I can spend and spoil myself. I get confused really.

Jayant

I think Dickens had the right idea.
'Income twenty pounds, spending nineteen pounds, nineteen shillings, and six pence. Result happiness.
Income twenty pounds, spending twenty pounds and aught, result misery!'

I'm not sure I've quoted word for word but I think it makes the point.

money makes me dizzy just like when a block hits my head. I wish there are no money in the world,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but how it could be?

Saving first really is the best strategy, especially if the money is payroll deducted before you see your check, and placed in an inconvenient savings account. It helps to make the whole process virtually invisible and far less painful.

The added bonus comes when you find yourself in a real financial bind and suddenly remember that you have a savings account waiting to bail you out.

It is a great feeling to know that you have saved yourself instead of borrowing from relatives, or friends, or putting an expensive cash advance on your credit card.

Also, if your bank offers the service where they will round-up all of your check card purchases to the nearest dollar and auto-deposit those bits and pieces into your savings account, you can also painlessly save a few extra dollars each month.

Just make sure that your bank...

A: Does not charge extra for this service
B: Does not charge a monthly fee on the savings account

Thanks for the good points, but I do agree with the person who said it is very important that we do spend some of our regular pay cheques on ourselves, otherwise we feel like we're part of a communist system. As professional musicians, my wife and I make a point of always paying ourselves after every concert we play, as well as put some in a tithe, which we share every week at a Catholic church for Sunday mass, and also some for savings. These amounts are sometimes quite small, depending on the income from the concert, e.g. between $20 to $800 per concert, but I believe that if we stick to a system, it will pay off because of the consistency with which it is practiced. We sometimes treat ourselves to a nice dinner, e.g., at a Mexican restaurant, rather than always buying our own groceries and cooking in our motorhome, becuase it creates special memories and gives us a sense of accomplishment, rather than only putting money in a savings account "for the future." Some people make the mistake of always postponing holidays, etc. until a future date and then they either get sick or die, and it is too late to enjoy the fruit of their labour. We also have a GIC, (Guaranteed Investment), which we are keeping for our "retirement," many years, most likely, from now, which we will not touch until then and which we will, every five years, roll over as a compound interest investement. I was very tempted to cash it in as we could have used the $5,000 we currently have that we started with, but my wife convinced me that it is important, both for practical and also for psychological reasons, to keep this locked in, high interest savings account for the future.

Finally, I think the most important thing is not to be a slave of or worship money, for, as Jesus said, "avoid greed in all its forms . . . you cannot serve God and mammon (riches)..."

Pete Mason

Items 1 and 3 were useful: Save first and spoil yourself occasionally. But as a long-time spendthrift, I learned that keeping money in my pocket was a huge mistake if I wanted to save. Ditto for credit and debit cards. The only way I could save money was to establish Term Deposits that were locked in for a year or more, and to put at least 10% of my gross income toward them. The best books I ever read on saving are The Wealthy Barber, and The Richest Man in Babylon. Very useful.

Hey, great article and many good post. Some say that money flows and if you are lucky you will have some flow into your life. It might come at a time when you need it. You get what you need but you still will be broke. It seems to work that way alot.
Investing your money wisely should bring about more flowing your way. There is nothing wrong with saving for a rainy day. Giving and investing is like planting planting a seed. Money makes the world turn and the more you plant the greater the harvest in due time.

Not having enough to pay your monthly bills can be very stressful to say the least. Good planning is a wise thing to do. Depending on someone else to bail you out is not wise. Learn to stick to your guns and make your own way in this world and walk with pride even if you have go around without any extra jingle in your pocket.
It's a great life if you don't weaken and depend on others.

I absolutely LOVE this article. Thank you for putting it out there like it is. I too had to over come a lot of money issues. Stepping outside of your comfort zone with your money thoughts can be REALLY scary but once you do it your life does start to change for the better.
Thank you also for not putting people into scarcity mode with this article. Being a cheapskate is also NOT the way to have more money in your life. I am thrilled that you did not suggest this. I have read so many articles about people taking extra napkins and ketchup packets from restaurants to “save” money. Ugh, cheating and stealing from others will NOT bring money into your life. When we act like that the Universe just takes things away in some other place because all we have done is shown we believe we don’t have enough.
Like you I have learned to save first, spend wisely and give to others. I have also learned to be open to receiving and keeping my eyes open for inspired actions. When the inspiration comes I do the thing I have been inspired to do. My hardest lesson to learn was that the Universe LOVES speed. When inspired action come it is MOST IMPORTANT to not procrastinate because of fear. It is awesome to know that when I live that way there is ALWAYS more than enough!

Thanks for the great tips. After over a year of being in 'school' on how to think out of prosperity instead of out of lack, I am thankful that it is over. yay! I still catch myself thinking things like, 'This is my last $50, I need to plan how to use it right'-when that makes no sense since I have plenty. It's crazy cause I have an abundance of money, and all my needs have always been met-always! I've never missed a meal that I didnt want to miss. :)
Last year was hands down miraculous! God provided for me every step of the way-I needed thousands for school tuition and over half of it was paid for me-much of it anonymously. It was amazing!
Thanks again for the tips!
~Christina:)

I have a lot when I don't have nothing, nothing to care, nothing that I will call mine. And still I'll be ONE with the Whole Universe. Now, That makes me the richest. It's a feeling of expantion, and gratitud. It's Love and Power. It's rememebering that your are That, and everybody else is That. And We are That together. Try it and rest, To need something is an illusion born in the state of separation. Be Your Best, Be The One.

As a late and great man once said: "in this life of ours, you hsve to mske money twice - you have to make it first, and you have to make it last". Alternatively, "you have to cut your cloth according to your means". Very best wishes to all your readers!!

It's a fact that more people fantasize about money than they do about s e x. Another fact is that 90% of lottery winners loose their money within 10 years and wind up having less than they did before. Yikes.

Basically if you're not ready to be rich in your mind you'll sabatoge your self in some way to proove to your self that you are poor.

I have noticed that people who don't respect them selves often have money issues. And Suze Orman also said some thing to the effect of people who have a lot of clutter in their surroundings also have debt. And I've noticed that this seems to be true. I'm often amazed at how much junk people have because it was "cheap".

Anyway those tips mentioned are a good place to start.

Hi there, and quite agree with the points made, yet there is a different approach to everything. I save from our family budget at least USD 1,000.00, at times even more than that - by the way I was born in USSR, and until the age of 17 I started to live in a free from Communism country. the saving habit is part of genetical gift the people of our region are famous for. And it has been passed to me from my dad, I believe. Whatever it is we have the savings account which has now gone into the 5 deposit investment plan I cannot touch, and I still have the savings account where the money will continue going to until it is enough to make another investment plan. Pension plan is another fantastic way to ensure your life is protected. having said of the above spending money is a science by itself but God forbid to become the famous Mac Duck and do nothing but save money - there is a proven fact that the more we spend the money we get back. We also have the immediate plan to pay off what we need to - after all we pay for services, so best to stop stressing out and pay off with ease. That helps and eventually will bring more money in. However it is better to know where your expenses are to take you to, so it is important to enjoy life with mind switched on. So good luck!

Fantastic article. You've turned over a good debate here. It certainly made me think. I find that I've never been able to save because I never had enough money, so I am definately going to do the 'save first, then spend' thing.

Thanks,

Sue

Thanks a bunch on these tips, it seems I was going towards that procedure to cure my money phobia but in my case is quite difficult, in short, I'll explain why.

i suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and that happens mostly to guitar players, the stupid rule of thumb "searching for the holy grail in tone"

Well, I fed up after expending quite a few bucks on that.

Nowadays I'm making a promise to myself by saying: "I'll stay with these 5 (custom) guitars and spend more time on playing/studying"

Well, so far so good, besides I'm looking for a better job.

The 10% savings is a mus, that's true, it's a percentage to be considered rather than an specific amount

The keep money in your pocket, I must say that I do not quite agree with it, I do not drive, I live (I am from)in Chile, and I live in the Capital, I have a disability (besides GAS hahah) which is called haemophilia, so I have arthrosis on both knees and I'm not able to run or fight back. hence, getting mugged here is quite common, and being more exposed with my disability seems an extra to consider.

The day my CCard got robbed (and I got a charge for 60 bucks in less than 5 minutes) made me not walking with my credit card in my pocket anymore.

Does your point #2 has a reply to my situation? Considering that I take public transportation all the time (it's quite common in south America) and not being able to react if i get "knicked?

Same issue applies to "a more humble way of living" having stairs, living in a smaller and cheaper apartment, not having access to some facilities and of course leaving living at the beach or the countryside is not an option, if I start bleeding either I go to the hospital or just feel pain and become crippled for at least 15 days...

I live in a two bedroom apt, not quite cheap for a single guy, and it's two blocks from my hospital. I usually get criticized on my "style of living" (apartment, cable, central heat) and I'm always ranting that money is "there" meaning, I have just enough for living.

But I can't practice sports, can't take a ride around town without using public transportation and walking a lot (trust me I live 24x7 in pain), can go to the beach coz I don't have a car and paying a bus ticket means arriving to the station and walk or expend more money on a cab o even worse, just walk miles and miles.

Is it "comfort" related to being practical?

or is it up to the eye of the beholder?

I can't even consider "sacrificing my style of living" and risk having a bad time and even worse an accident, I did it when I was younger, and I can adapt (when ther's a will, there's a way) but would be recommendable to ease up worrying about money and start worrying on my health due to "not s comfortable conditions"?

Above you'll see my e-mail, I'd appreciate any tips on my case, and of curse I'll check here if any has a good suggestion.

So far I can say that I've been having a quite comfy life, but I can't fall sleep several nights just thinking where to get more consistent money income and not sacrificing my health (I'm an independent English teacher btw, no contracts, no "medicaid" or such" I pay from my pocket to access health.

Thanks, this topic really touched just the time I'm looking forward to find a more "respectful job for a handicapped person, who is (imho) smart, intelligent, eager, and motivated"

Paul Evans

Like what its has said, priceless. Really a priceless tip on how to maximize my money usage so that I will never "afraid" of money any more !!! Really valuable tips that I should known of earlier.

I sometimes like to think of a world without the concept of money. Imagine, no such thing as money, no word for it and no physical or emotional reference to it.

So many people spend the majority of their time in pursuit of this bazaar invention. Money is a necessary and insidious detour away from everything that really matters. The problem is – it’s in the middle of most other pursuits, like a bottomless pothole on the road of life. You can’t ignore it and it’s hard to get around so you deal with it.

Let’s abolish the stuff and get on with things of real value.

thanks a lot for all this information !!!

juana

Great ideas, good comments....money is (almost) a four letter word....noone wants to talk about it and certainly not ask for advice!! There are a lot of good suggestions - the biggest "thing" is...you have to do what suits YOU - as one contributor wrote - "cut your cloth to suit your pocket." Everyone's circumstances are different and what is good for one may not be good for the other. Follow your instincts....you'll KNOW. There is nothing BAD about money, just the way it is misused.

I always pay myself first:

Contribute as much as you can to your 401(k). The max is nearly $16/year now! Do it if you can. If it means cutting back on services, like basic standard-plus cable- DO IT!

We have only had basic ($14/mo) for years. It saves us over $600/year. Especially with today's gas prices.

Save, save, save. Trim the fat. Onward!

Great article.
I will add one more thing. Make it a habit to donate a certain percentage every month to charity. You can start with 1 percent of your earnings/profit and increase gradually. This will give you the confidence to live with the rest of the money. You will feel good to have helped for a greater cause. Universe will give it back to you in some way or the other. I have personally felt the impact of this habit.

To use some of the principles described in The Secret or by Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle, feeling affluent can precede having money. And that feeling attracts situations which set up the self-fullfilling prophecy of abundance. As a massage therapist, I am literally paid not only daily, but hourly. Even though I do not receive many "paid benefits", this allows me to feel that I have money all the time. If I spend it immediately, that cancels the "feeling of being flush", so actually, it serves to help me hang onto it longer, reinforcing that nice secure feeling. And that's the feeling of having money, right?

Great tips they are. I only wish to comment that money is a neutral item,taking only but the directional value we give to it(positive or negative).We all have an idea of what good life is yet our individual approach to attaining it varies.Life has no duplicate.All that it takes to live a fulfilling life,we should endeavour to do.

The key to having all the MONEY you want, all the DREAMY RELATIONSHIPS you want, the perfect HEALTH you want is 2 things. 1. Feel and VIBRATE happiness and joy in everything you experience and do every day. 2. And this alone will change your life if you truly understand the meaning of it. "CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS, AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT WILL CHANGE" Read it again and again until you really get it. Money does not bring happiness. Happiness brings money.

That Jones boy knows his
bean.

Please continue to keep the
bean rolling. I haven't received a mailing in a while. The craving for brain food is relentless.

Dave